Barn Report - Sunday February 21, 2010

Bruce Brown wasn’t at Belmont Sunday morning. He was at the christening for his new son. But Steve Zorn and I were able to have a nice chat with his assistant Maria.

Bruce thought Talking Blues might be ready to race by last Friday (Feb. 19th), and tried to aim him for that race, but it didn’t happen. Talking Blues came back very slowly from the race on January 17th. He didn’t like that heavy track, it took a lot out of him, and, as we know from past experience with him, he gets sore after he’s worked heavily, and has to take the time to get better from that (leg wraps and buckets of ice water are what do it). This time, just about when he was ready to start training seriously up to his next race, bad weather set in, forcing all the trainers to exercise their horses less (no breezes; no gallops) for a few days, and then, for two days, totally closing the training track. Unfortunately, that period was exactly when Talking Blues was finally ready for a good pre-race breeze. If he’d had it then, he’d probably have raced last Friday. But he didn’t get that breeze until the Monday before the race – and that four-day span just didn’t give him enough time to recover. Most horses need several days of jogging after a breeze, then a gallop or two, so it’s usually a week between a breeze and either another breeze or a race. For Talking Blues, it’s even longer. When we saw Talking Blues on Sunday morning, he was back in the barn after a jog; he jogged again on Monday, and galloped on Tuesday. Bruce wants to get one or two solid breezes into him, and wants to make sure he isn’t feeling sore after those, before he is ready to race. Once the horse has had a breeze or two, he’ll let Bruce know if he’s ready. Winter training is difficult for all.

Steve and I spent some quality time hanging out with Talking Blues at his stall. He seemed happy and alert, and engaged in a serious contest with Steve over Steve’s coffee cup. Luckily, Talking Blues lost that contest, so he definitely will not be testing positive for caffeine.

Next, we stopped by Leah Gyarmati’s barn, where Strings and Arrows looked a little tired, but otherwise in good shape, after Saturday’s race. (Leah said: “You should expect him to be tired today. He ran a good race.”)

Strings and Arrows had a productive race, finishing a fast-closing fourth, as he continues his development as a racehorse. Strings and Arrows was soundly bumped after the break but continued on in a very game fashion to finish fourth in a field of nine. Comments were made about Strings and Arrows’ calmness before the race and his long fluid strides down the stretch. Leah Gyamati firmly believes Strings and Arrows will get better as the distance gets longer, and she’s also looking forward to trying him on turf.

Iguazu is still in Florida, and Bill Turner said that he’s slowing down just a bit on our colt’s training, to give him the time he needs to develop physically. Iguazu comes from a late-developing family, so this is not entirely surprising, though we’re all impatiently looking forward to his return to the starting gate.

Bagavond is still on the farm in Virginia and is getting his jogging in every day, outside when the weather permits, and indoors, in the big arena, on snow days.

The Claiming Partnership is still evaluating horses. Steve and Bruce had a few possibilities, but after further review decided to pass on them. They are still looking, and there could be a new horse in the barn any day. As partners continue to join we are able to expand our search for a horse. Anyone that would like more information on this partnership can contact me at 1-888-989-7223 or email at cvfsales@gmail.com .

If anyone wants to come join us on our Sunday barn visits, just get in touch at 1-888-989-7223 or email at cvfsales@gmail.com .

Barn Report - Sunday Feb. 14th

February has been a no-races month, so far, for Castle Village Farm. The weather and the difficulty in finding races that fit our horses conditions are the main causes.

Steve Zorn and I were out at Belmont Sunday morning. Talking Blues had already been out on the training track by the time we got there, but we met up with Bruce Brown on the rail, then walked back to Bruce’s barn, where I left Bruce a VERY large bag of carrots that a restaurant owner friend of mine had given me for the horses.

Talking Blues missed a few days of training when the training track was closed for bad weather. Most important, he missed the last breeze that he needed to get set up for a race, so the decision was made not to enter Talking Blues in the race originally slated for Monday, 15 February. The race was not used by the racing office, anyway, so other trainers must have felt the same way about entering their horse. Talking Blues will have a breeze this week, then Bruce and Steve will discuss next race possibilities.

We also got to see Strings and Arrows gallop on the training track. He looked very strong, pulling his rider along. Leah Gyarmati was in Ocala for the two-year-old sale, so Herbie Castillo was in charge of the barn in her absence. We could see that Strings and Arrows is training very well, but there do not appear to be any distance races in the condition book until March. Leah will ask the racing office for a two-turn NY Bred Maiden Special Weight to be put up as an extra on the overnights. Such requests are usually granted, but then it depends on the number of entries to determine if the race will be used.

Iguazu had another significant breeze the other day in Florida, and, according to Pat Turner, came out of it just fine. A few more breezes and Bill Turner will start looking for a race for Iguazu. Bill said that he should know by the end of this week what Iguazu’s likely racing schedule will be.

Bagavond continues to be well taken care of on Diana McCLure’s farm in Virginia. Last week’s blizzard, on top of the one that came just the week before, has left more than 20 inches of snow on the ground. Diana reported that they’d been thoroughly snowed in all week, and that her husband Michael had been putting in long hours clearing the paths and driveways. At one point, just before the second blizzard, Mike had everything cleared, only to have the wind cover it all up again. By some miracle, Diana said, they didn’t lose power, so they were able to continue to keep indoor areas warm and to draw fresh water for the horses. Fortunately, they have a big indoor arena, so Bagavond was able to get some work in. Turf season can't get here soon enough.

Barn Report - Sunday, Feb. 5

Partner Paddy O'Hara came along with Steve and myself on our barn visits this past Sunday and said how enjoyable it is to see the morning workouts and to have that chance to talk informally with our trainers.

Paddy commented that there is so much more to racing than what the average fan knows. All of you are invited to join us one morning for a tour of the Belmont backstretch and conversations with CVF trainers. Sundays are the preferred choice, but we are flexible enough to arrange this for any day of the week.

Strings and Arrows had a very good untimed breeze at one mile the other
day. We’d been looking forward to racing him this Thursday, but the racing office did not use the race we were pointing him to. Instead, they used an open-company maiden special that was carded especially for Darley (which is owned by the Sheik of Dubai) and a few of the other owners who have very, very expensive horses. Leah and Steve discussed entering Strings and Arrows in an upcoming six-furlong race for NY Breds, but have decided against it, because, since his last race, Strings and Arrows has been training to run a longer distance. We are looking for a NY Bred Maiden Special Weight race at one mile or longer. There should be one soon, because it is not an uncommon race. The overnights are where we are expecting to find the race for Strings and Arrows, so, more than likely, it will be short notice to everyone for his next race. We will do a posting as soon as we have any additional information.

Talking Blues continues to train well and is ready to race again. We’d hoped he’d be in a race on Sunday, but the racing office didn’t use that one. Right now, there is a race in the condition book for Monday, February 15th (Presidents' Day). Bruce Brown and Steve are thinking of entering him in that one. The race is for NY Bred Claiming $15K at a distance of one mile and seventy yards. We’ll keep you posted on that one, and we hope to see lots of you at the track if the race goes.

Iguazu had a nice half-mile breeze on Saturday. Pat Turner reports that Iguazu came out of the breeze in excellent shape. He walked the shed row on Sunday, was back on the training track Monday for a jog, and galloped on the training track on Tuesday. Bill and Pat are hoping to keep Iguazu on a regular weekly breeze schedule and get him to a race as soon as he has sufficient conditioning. No word yet on exactly when that will be, but there's a one-mile maiden special in the Gulfstream condition book on February 27th that could be a target.

Bagavond is snowed in. The part of northern Virginia where Bagavond is spending the winter was one of the hardest-hit areas in last weekend's snowfall. The area around Berryville got almost three feet of snow.

Diana McClure reports that all the horses are fine; she and Michael have managed to dig out their driveway, and clear the paths between the barns and their house so they can feed and water the horses, but it'll be a while before the jogging track is open. Meanwhile, the local roads are still in very dicey shape, and more snow is expected tomorrow and Wednesday, so Bagavond's outdoor excursions may be limited for a few days more.

Just as an idea of the conditions in that part of the world, Althea Richards, the breeder and co-owner of Iguazu, who has a farm not too far away from Diana's, reports that she spent most of Saturday afternoon trying to brush the snow away from her satellite dishes and that "it was like trying to repair the Hubble telescope."

Because of the weather, Jean and Steve aren't sure yet whether they'll be able to get down to visit Bagavond this weekend as they’d planned. It all depends on how effective the plows are, and how much more snow falls in that area tomorrow and Wednesday. They're still hopeful, though.

The Claiming Partnership continues to grow, and Steve and Bruce continue to evaluate horses. CVF entered into an agreement with another group of NY based owners, who wanted to be involved specifically with Castle Village Farm, so we may be able to claim at a higher level than we’d first thought. Shares in the claiming partnership are still available, and we will continue to upgrade our search for a horse as more partners get involved.

Anyone who wants more information on the Claiming Partnership or any of the CVF horses please let me know. I can be reached at 1-888-989-7223 or email cvfsales@gmail.com.

Barn Report - Sunday, January 31

February is here, and Castle Village Farm is looking forward to upcoming races.

Talking Blues will not be running at a distance of a mile and one
quarter in his next race. At an extremely cold, but crowded Belmont
training track, Steve and I were able to have a fairly long discussion
with Bruce Brown this morning. Bruce thinks at this stage of his
career, Talking Blues is not ready to be trained to run the mile and one
quarter distance. Bruce feels one mile to mile and seventy yards is
best suited for Talking Blues at the present time. Steve and Bruce are
discussing an Open Claiming $10,000 race at a mile and seventy yards that is
in the condition book for Sunday, February 7th. As soon as the entry
is confirmed we will do a posting. Hopefully it will not interfere with
any Super Bowl plans and everyone will be able to attend.

Strings and Arrows is being pointed towards running in a NY Bred Maiden
Special Weight race at one mile on Thursday, February 11th. Steve and I
were able to have a good discussion with Leah Gyarmati this morning.
Leah feels Strings and Arrows will show much better of himself this time
out. No decision has been made yet on the jockey. Leah is looking to
get a jockey on Strings and Arrows for a morning workout or two.

Away from Aqueduct, Iguazu has been galloping at Palm Meadows in Florida, and we are awaiting word from Bill Turner on when Iguazu's next breeze will be.

And Bagavond continues to act like a happy horse on the farm in Virginia. Turf season can't get here soon enough.

We have had a spike in interest in the Claiming Partnership. Steve and Bruce agreed on Sunday that the claiming market is fairly thin at the moment, but they’ll continue to analyze every available race. Steve will continue to scour the pp's and keep everyone updated. With possibly additional partners joining us, we might soon be looking at higher quality horses.

I can be reached at 888-989-7223 or email cvfsales@gmail.com for anyone that would like additional information on this partnership.

Some of you may be interested in checking out www.nyra.com . Click on "Backstretch Buzz", you will be able to see interviews with two of the Castle Village Farm trainers. Leah Gyarmati gives her opinion on using a journeyman jockey as opposed to a bug boy. Bruce Brown gives his views on training horses during the winter months.

Steve and I are usually at Belmont Park every Sunday morning.
Sunny-chilly mornings are not so bad at Belmont Park. All are welcome
to join us and speak with our trainers and view morning workouts.
Anyone wishing to see behind the scenes in thoroughbred racing, please let us know.

Joe's Barn Report -- Sunday, January 24th

Another week with CVF horses in three different states – so Joe reports about Sunday morning on the Belmont backstretch, and Steve adds some brief updates on the Virginia and Florida horses.

Almost warm at Belmont this morning. More trainers out by the rail at the training track.

We couldn’t find Talking Blues. Bruce Brown has 50 horses in training at Belmont now, so he’s expanded into a second barn, and TB has a new stall. Bruce is in Florida for a couple of days, checking up on the horses he sent to Gulfstream, so Bruce’s assistant showed us the new barn.

Talking Blues was acting like a happy horse. Maybe he likes his new neighbors. Bruce’s assistant and TB’s exercise rider (who is in love with TB) both think the sealed sloppy track was his undoing in his last race. They did say that Talking Blues has a true competitor’s heart.

Steve and Bruce are looking for TB’s next race. They’re thinking about a race on February 4 – a $15,000 NY-Bred claiming, at a mile and a quarter. Bruce will see how Talking Blues trains over the next few weeks and then make a decision.

We missed Strings and Arrows’ gallop on the training track. Leah rode him, and said he was still tugging her along after 7 furlongs. There are some NY Bred Maiden Special Weight races at a mile or a mile and seventy yards in early February that Steve and Leah are looking at.

If anyone wants to visit Talking Blues or Strings and Arrows some morning at Belmont Park, please let us know.

Diana McClure reports that the weather in northern Virginia has warmed up some, so Bagavond is spending most of the daylight hours turned out in the paddock. But his return to racing has begun. He's been jogging, and beginning next week, Diana and Michael will step up his workload. The aim is to have him ready to come back to the race track by the end of March, so he can have a few breezes before the turf season starts in late April or early May.

And in Florida, Bill Turner reports that Iguazu should start breezing again within a week, on the road to a start at Gulfstream before the end of February. Bill says that Iguazu is looking very strong, but Bill's preference is to call a halt to training whenever a horse has a minor ailment, and Iguazu has had a couple –first a cough, and then a little swelling in the ankle. Nothing major, and it's all been checked out by the vet, but it has set our target date for a race back quite a bit

Barn Report - Sunday January 17th

Joe is back from not-so-sunny Florida, so here's his report on Sunday's visit to Strings and Arrows' barn at Belmont, followed by my notes (in italics) on the other Castle Village Farm horses. -- Steve

Strings and Arrows appears to be fine after his disappointing race Saturday. Steve and I were at Leah Gyamarti's barn very early this morning. It was unexpected, but I liked what I saw and heard. Strings and Arrows was being attended to just like he won the race, and Leah and her staff were acting like sore losers. I have witnessed the hard work it took to get Strings and Arrows healthy and in racing shape, and could sense everyone's disappointment. They felt it was a listless ride by Rosie Napravnik, that after breaking well she should have strongly urged Strings and Arrows to use his speed. Leah said that Strings and Arrows did not drift out in the stretch, and was not a tired horse when he returned to the barn. The plan now is to use that race as a very good breeze and to stretch Strings and Arrows out. He is bred for a distance and Leah thinks down the road he will like the turf as well. Strings and Arrows will be back on the track galloping in a few days and we are hoping to race again in 3-4 weeks.

Talking Blues had already left for the Aqueduct detention barn by the time we got to Bruce Brown's barn at Belmont, so we didn't see our horse before Sunday's race. The race itself was a disappointment, as Talking Blues appeared not to like the sloppy and sealed race track, finishing 7th. Bruce reported on Monday that Talking Blues came back from the race with only slight soreness in his legs, which is normal for him after a race, and that he should be ready to give it another shot, with luck on a dry track, in about three weeks.

Iguazu is back in training in South Florida, after a few days off with a sprained ankle, and is galloping on the Palm Meadows training track. Pat Turner reports that he looks very strong, and that we should be looking for a race for him at Gulfstream in the latter part of February.

Bagavond continues to frolic in the snow at Diana McClure's farm in Berryville, VA. Diana reports that the snow has been cleared from their jogging track, and that Bagavond is beginning to get back to work, aiming at a return to Belmont in time for the turf racing season.

And, last but not least, we've started to look for a horse for our new 2010 claiming partnership with trainer Bruce Brown. Join us now and you can participate in the fun of looking at possible claims and debating whether we should claim one or another horse!

Barn Report - Sunday, January 10th

Joe Wall is in Florida this weekend (we'd be jealous, but it's almost as cold in Florida today as it is here), so the Sunday Barn Report is being brought to you by Castle Village Farm racing manager Steve Zorn.

I know I don't have Joe's touch with these Reports, but I'll give it a try.

While the weather today in New York wasn't as totally frigid as last Sunday -- when racing was canceled at Aqueduct -- it was still pretty cold. Warm enough so most trainers sent their horses to the training track, but lots of the horses wore their winter blankets to the track and didn't do more than gallop.

Talking Blues

Bruce Brown, who trains Talking Blues for us and who will be training our next claiming horse, sent all his horses out to the track. Luckily for the horses and the exercise riders, Bruce's barn is right at the entrance to the track, so it's a very short walk.

By the time I arrived, Talking Blues had already been out for a jog around the track and was was safely tucked away in his stall, looking very happy to be there with the heat lamp turned on. Bruce said that Talking Blues has bounced back well from his big win on January 1st and should be ready to race again pretty soon. Bruce plans to give Talking Blues a three-furlong blowout Monday or Tuesday, then decide on his next race. That could come as early as next Sunday, January 17th, when there's a two-turn non-winners-of-two-lifetime claiming race in the condition book. If Bruce decides that Talking Blues needs a bit more time, then there's another race in the condition book for January 30th, and there may be some extras that the racing secretary puts up on the overnights in between those dates.

Strings and Arrows

Down at Leah Gyarmati's barn, which is about as far from the training track as it's possible to get on the Belmont backstretch, Strings and Arrows was in great shape, and apparently very proud of himself after a very good breeze yesterday, when he worked out of the starting gate, covering the distance on a slow training track in 1:02 flat. That's his fastest five-furlong work yet, and Leah pronounced him ready to race. Herbie Castillo, who rode Strings and Arrows in yesterday's breeze, said that the colt broke well, remembered all his starting gate lessons, and finished up the work very strongly -- all very good signs.

So we're all ready to get Strings and Arrows back to the races. We'll enter this coming Wednesday for the 5 1/2-furlong NY-bred maiden special weight scheduled for Saturday, January 16th. It'll be great to see him racing again after the seven-month layoff.

Iguazu

I didn't exactly get to visit Iguazu, since he's down in South Florida. (Nor did Joe, who is in Tampa, not Miami.) But I did talk to Bill Turner on the phone this morning, so I might as well add him to the report. Bill says that Iguazu's ankle problem is very minor. There was a little filling in the ankle (it was a little swollen) for a couple of days, but Iguazu was never really lame. However, Bill always prefers to err on the safe side with his horses, so he had the vet do x-rays (which showed absolutely no bone or ligament damange) and kept Iguazu to walking the shedrow for a few days, until the swelling disappeared. Now, though, Iguazu is back on the training track, and jogged easily this morning. Bill says Iguazu didn't lost a lot of conditioning, so we'll be looking for a race for him toward the end of January or the first week in February.

Bagavond

I didn't get to see Bagavond either, since he's still playing in the snow down in Virginia, but partner Paddy O'Hara and Paddy's cousin Eileen visited Bagavond at Diana and Mike McClure's Carousel Farm last week. (Pictures of their visit are on display on this website in the Gallery.) Paddy and Eileen report that they had a great day at Carousel, and urge partners to take Diana and Mike up on their fine hospitality. It was a busy day for Diana and Mike, with a bunch of yearlings who had to be moved from the paddocks to the barns, but they still took the time to be very hospitable to Paddy and Eileen. We thank them for that -- and for the great care they take of our horses every winter.